


Reliving the Past

by radishleaf



Series: The Fool, Reversed - Ezra Oneshots [9]
Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Alcohol, Angst, Drama, Ex Sex, Exes, Frottage, M/M, Pining, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Pre-Canon, Spoilers, the feels aren't too heavy-handed tho lol, this was supposed to be light and fun and ended up somewhat depressing, when ya break up only to make up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-16
Updated: 2019-08-16
Packaged: 2020-09-02 11:49:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20275432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/radishleaf/pseuds/radishleaf
Summary: A year has passed since Lucio and Ezra parted ways, but their paths cross once more when they unceremoniously meet at the Masquerade.





	Reliving the Past

**Author's Note:**

> hhhhahaha smut isn't the only thing i know how to write i promise hhahhh
> 
> it's just the only thing i am sorta-kinda good at lol
> 
> nevertheless, more dumb porn of these two together, but with ~:*drama*:~ i admit, i'm hooked. their dynamic is my everything. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ 
> 
> not much else to say here, so kindly disregard any grammatical errors, punctuation mistakes, and the like. i tried to be thorough. enjooooy.

The Masquerade was a time of merriment, of revelry, of brief glances between attracted strangers, of light laughter intertwined with mingling, of stolen moments in little corners all in the decadence of the palace the count and countess called home. Yet, Lucio would greet this second Masquerade with upset feelings—pining, regret—that he mastered hiding spectacularly behind a pearly grin and overinflated ego.

What did he care for yet _another _party? Every day of his life as the count was a bash; the Masquerade would just be another period of wine, and jokes, and dancing while in all the company of attractive people. He was privy to that every other day. Yet, it was the memory of one year past that had him meet the next coming days with dejection, as it marked the time Ezra parted from him for good.

He took his time together with the magician for granted, he knew he did. All of Lucio’s affairs were short-lived, and he expected the same with Ezra, but never did he think he’d get so attached—nor did he think Ezra would as well. A man with a frigid exterior, whose chilly stare Lucio thought could freeze over half of Vesuvia, opened up to him in a small expanse of time. Never did he think he was but one of a handful of people Ezra thought highly of.

_He told me he loved me, for fuck’s sake_, Lucio thought with a sigh.

He leaned against a window overlooking the expanse of his domain, gingerly sipping at a glass of wine. His mind was already swimming, however; Lucio had already downed three quarters of a bottle, so he was far from sober, but guzzling more than necessary wasn’t on his agenda at the moment. He simply wanted to maintain his buzz. After all, he was going to need it.

Silver eyes flickered down to the thin stream of people making their way into the palace. The first day of the Masquerade always drew the largest crowd, tapering off considerably in the coming days as stragglers hastily made their entrance while those partied out dismissed themselves. From what he could discern, the number would be double that of last year. Thus, Lucio knew he would have to make a lasting impression; his entrance was _everything_. Even if only pomp and circumstance, he would give the first arrivals a show.

Unfortunately, his enthusiasm for, well, _himself_ had fallen considerably when he began to ruminate on Ezra. Putting so much weight and thought on someone not himself was a strange feeling, but Lucio dashed aside the notion, because most surprising of all was he felt… depressed. That was the conclusion he’d come to when the comforting warmth of wine couldn’t rid the hollow feeling in his chest.

_Damn it all, i-it… It was over a year ago, Lucio! Just get over it already!_

Yet, he couldn’t forget. It was vivid and raw—from the twist of the face Lucio knew so well from surprise to blaring anger, the sharp sting of the slap across his left cheek and resulting numbness, the roar of the voice delivering the end in a stern, conversational lilt, “_That’s it, Lucio. I-I can’t take do this anymore. We’re through. I never want to see your disgusting face again.” _

Unfortunately, what exactly he held blame for was lost under an inebriated stupor. The most Lucio came to was that whatever he said to Ezra must’ve offended him greatly; though he would roll his eyes or sniff in disgust, the magician would take whatever he said in stride. It was part of the reason why Lucio had grown fond of him; unlike the others, Ezra was willing to hear him out, and didn’t treat him like a blathering idiot.

That very thought struck a pang of guilt in Lucio’s chest. He desperately wanted to see Ezra, to see how he was fairing since their breakup (with the added hope that the magician was dreading it like he was), but any attempt to contact him came to no avail.

Sending Emilio in his wake produced nothing save one rumor: Ezra had up and vanished, but there were sightings of him in the company of another white-haired magician. Many had thought it a family member, but questioning a nearby baker confirmed he was actually the magician, Asra, and the two had departed on one of his many journeys. This revelation sickened Lucio. Did Ezra like being in Asra’s company more? Was he Lucio’s new replacement? Whatever the case, he would forgive Ezra, but not without some sort of compensation.

_Though that son of a bitch knows exactly what I want, and how to get it_, Lucio thought with a sneer.

Realizing he had drained his glass, Lucio pushed himself from the window and headed for the bottle still chilling in a mixture of melted ice and water. The clawed ends of his gauntlet wrapped about the neck, but something in him thought against another glass, and he released it with a huff. For now, letting bygones be bygones even as his upset feelings lingered, Lucio sharply turned on his heel with a flourish; his decorated cape catching the movement and fluttering elegantly in the air.

Enough of Ezra, enough of the past, enough of things unsaid, or couldn’t be, or would never be. He was tired of thinking of one lone person when _he_ was the only one that mattered most. Lips prying back in a cocky mask beneath the goat-shaped one he donned, Lucio descended from the chamber and made for the main hall.

He had an entrance to make.

* * *

Lucio was unsure he how managed to remain standing with one hand wrapped about a sloshing glass of wine and the other the shapely hip of a woman whose named he couldn’t fathom (something told him it was in the realm of Layla, Lilah, or Leelah, but even those were stretching it). The door before him gave way easily when Lucio negotiated it open with a kick as he dragged the giggling Layla, Lilah, or Leelah inside. His own laughter joined hers, but only from how fun it was seeing the parlor room spin.

Somehow or another, he managed to right himself upon coming face to face with the woman—gods above, she was beautiful—by throwing his weight onto her and pushing her up against the wall. Her face glowed against the low lighting; cheeks flared pink beneath her floral mask from a combination of wine and her own embarrassment. The smile pulled up on her painted lips was adoringly bashful, immediately making Lucio try and steal a kiss. Part of him was glad he managed to lose his own mask; it made things easier.

The woman splayed a hand on his chest and pushed him back. “C-Count Lucio,” she stuttered. “We shouldn’t…”

Lucio purred. “Hmm, playing hard to get?”

“N-no, your excellency, I’m just—”

“C’mon, babe. It’s just a kiss. Can’t you give your count that much?”

“Come now, Lucio. She said she didn’t want to.”

The interjection of the horrifically familiar voice cut through the count like a finely crafted blade. With a swift jerk of his head, the woman before him became a faraway afterthought when his eyes landed on the figure near the end of the room. Leaning against an unadorned cabinet with his arms crossed stood Ezra. Even in his drunken state, Lucio could tell it was him beneath the beaked mask he wore.

Extricating his person from the woman, which drew a harrumph from her, Lucio took a few steps forward and considered the magician from head to toe. Outfitted in a light periwinkle suit with his hair combed back, the count couldn’t deny Ezra was stunning; then again, he always thought so. Still, the shock of the moment hadn’t quite settled in yet, so Lucio was regarding Ezra as if it hadn’t been a year since they’d last seen each other.

Since there was much to be talked about, without looking to her, Lucio told the woman, “You can leave.”

Lucio heard the regret in her huff. “Do I—”

“_Leave_.”

Through a very smart move, the woman quickly scuttled out of the room, clicking the door shut behind her. Now left to their own devices, silence filtered into the space between Lucio and Ezra. Neither appeared to have anything to say, or if they did, they deigned to bring it up. Lucio, in particular, found himself at a loss for words despite all of the thoughts swirling around in his head.

Hesitantly, as he considered a crack that had spiderwebbed halfway up the wall, Lucio said, “It’s been a while. What are you doing here?”

Ezra’s eyes leveled on him. “I just returned. Once one returns from a trip, Lucio, it is common for them to go home, yes?”

“No, _here_. What are you doing _here?_” The sudden swell of anger within Lucio sobered him up considerably. “You never liked the Masquerade; social functions aren’t your thing.”

“It’s a time-honored tradition to attend the Masquerade when it arrives.”

The count narrowed his eyes. “Cut the shit, Ezra. You came here _precisely_ knowing you’d run into me, or if not, arranged a moment where you would.”

Ezra shifted from what Lucio thought to be discomfort, but instead, it was to reach for a glass of wine he had placed behind him. After swirling it and taking a sip, Ezra replied, “Perhaps.”

“That’s it? That’s all you have to say?” Lucio grit his teeth. “I know you, Ezra. It’s just the thing you’d do, especially to get under my skin. So if you’re here just to piss me off, you can leave. I won’t take your bullshit.”

“Then you don’t know me well enough, Lucio.”

The count’s lips parted to belt out a curse, but the pained look to Ezra’s eye silenced him immediately. He wasn’t sure if it were his words or the wine he’d already consumed, but his sarcastic bravado had dissipated, leaving only a shell of his former self.

Shedding his mask, the magician placed it on the cabinet, and considered Lucio coolly. “I didn’t come here to hurt you, if that is what you’re insinuating,” Ezra said. “I came here to see you, but just that—to see you. Nothing more. I had no intentions of interrupting your fun.”

Lucio spread his arms, spilling a bit of wine on the rug of the parlor room. “But here we are,” he said mockingly. “So what are you going to do, Ezra? Run away again for another year with that, that _close_ friend of yours, only to come back to see me?” He snorted. “You’re a masochist through and through.”

Lucio had expected a flirty retort, as was always the case between them, but he saw the muscle in Ezra’s jaw clench. It was both painful and pleasing; he hadn’t meant to hurt him, but it felt good to see _him_ feeling guilty for a change. Especially when Lucio sat with guilt and so much more for the last year.

“I didn’t come here to argue with you, Lucio,” Ezra said.

“Well, tough shit, because we’re headed in that direction if you speak so nonchalantly. We aren’t even a thing anymore, Ezra, so why should I care you’re here?”

This caused the magician to frown deeply. “If you’re unaware, Lucio, _you_ are the reason for our messy breakup,” he said. “So don’t get upset at me for something I didn’t cause. I’m trying to keep things civil, especially since, as I said, I had no intentions of talking to you.”

Lucio took a breath and released it slowly. He hadn’t expected to arrive at the reason for their breakup so quickly, but there was no use dashing aside the topic he wondered about. “Why… did we break up in the first place?” he asked as steadily as he could. He couldn’t look Ezra in the eye when he asked this, as he instantly knew it drew his ire.

Ezra glared at him with the intensity of a thousand suns. “You _seriously_ don’t remember?” he asked, to which he received a shake of Lucio’s head. “Gods, you’re truly insufferable. I’m not surprised that part of you never changed.”

“S-shut up!” Lucio snapped. “I-I was drunk, okay?”

“Not unusual, but all right.”

“J-just tell me already.” The count ducked his head. “I want to know.”

Ezra sighed. “You… You said we’d never have a future together.” He took a long draw of wine from his glass. “That what we had was a stone’s toss away from nothing.”

Lucio stilled. “That was all?” he said. “And here I thought—”

“It still hurt to hear that, Lucio,” Ezra said. “Especially when…” His voice trailed off to silence.

Lucio blinked. “What?”

“Especially when you knew I loved you.”

To hear that confession so plainly struck Lucio at his core, but he managed to hold his own against it through sheer stubbornness. “C-C’mon, Ezra. You knew our relationship wouldn’t have lasted,” he said. “None of my affairs ever do.”

“I _did _know. I was always mindful of it. Still, I foolishly believed… that maybe…” Ezra’s face scrunched painfully before he added, “You said I was your longest affair to date.”

“You were.”

“I thought, perhaps, we had a chance. I… I-I guess I was wrong.”

“So your response to that was to run away for a year?”

“Yes.”

“Without even telling me where you were going?”

“Why would I have done that?” Ezra’s smile was mocking. “You said it yourself—why would you have cared?”

“Because…!” Lucio couldn’t admit then and there how he felt, so he cut his reasons short. “I looked for you, Ezra. I sought you out. I-I wanted to talk. But I guess I was too late, huh? You found someone else.”

“What do you mean?”

“That other magician. Asra. Aren’t you with him now?”

Ezra took a beat to reply. “No,” he said quietly. “We aren’t together, Lucio.”

“And why’s that? Isn’t he good for you? _Better_ than me? I mean, you’re both magicians. Just wiggle your fingers and—”

“I _can’t_ be with him, Lucio,” Ezra snapped. He knotted arms across his chest again when he hung his head. “It’s because I… I never _stopped_ loving you.”

Lucio’s eyes widened to the whites. His body moved on its own as he closed the distance between himself and Ezra to cup a hand on his forearm. “Is this true?” he asked gently. “Do you really still have feelings for me?”

“_Yes_.” The reply left Ezra as if it were painful to admit. His eyes wavered when he raised his head to look at Lucio. “On the trip, you were the only thing I ever thought about. One long year of wanting your company, only to realize I was too far from you to get it.” He gave a small laugh. “You’re right, I am a masochist. I preferred sitting with my pain instead of just coming back to Vesuvia. Dumb of me, yes?”

The count’s chuckle was warm. “Yes, but incomparable to half the things I put myself through. Can’t even begin to describe how much wine I drank, let along the number of people I’ve slept with.”

Ezra snorted. “Didn’t catch anything, did you?”

“Thankfully, no. Well, maybe. There was this rash…” Ezra’s face fell as he prepared to step back from Lucio, but the count laughed and caught him. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding! I’m as clean as a whistle, Ezra.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Well, you’re free to check…”

Ezra harrumphed. “We’ve barely reconciled and _that’s_ where your mind goes?”

“You can’t blame me! I’ve been a year without you having unsatisfying sex with others, and you expect me not to? A-and what do you mean we’ve “barely” reconciled? Aren’t we on good terms now?”

“There’s still much to discuss, Lucio. That was only the tip of the iceberg.”

Lucio twisted up his lip. “Things were simpler when you didn’t love me,” he said. “I was fine with just your body.”

Ezra shrugged. “I think the same, but I’ve said it many times before: I have awful tastes in awful men. You’re simply the epitome of that.”

Lucio puffed out his chest. “I’m glad to be it.” He suddenly proffered his glass of wine in the space between himself and Ezra, cocking his chin to the one the magician had placed back down. “But enough depressing shit, let’s have a toast!”

Ezra rose a quizzical brow as he retrieved his glass. “To what?”

“Gods above, does it matter? To… To merriment, to togetherness, to love—all things to celebrate during the Masquerade. How about that?”

“Ever the romantic, even if terribly executed,” Ezra said when he clinked his glass against Lucio’s. “But fine. Cheers.”

Lucio barely had a chance to raise his glass before Ezra suddenly wrapped his hand about it. He brought the rim to his lips and took a long drink, his gaze dark as he eyed Lucio. When he pulled away, Lucio reacted breezily; curving the forefinger and thumb of his gauntlet about Ezra’s chin and angling his head up. He sucked the small drop of wine on the magician’s bottom lip between his own, reveling in the taste and warmth of the chaste kiss. When Lucio negotiated a chance to deepen it, Ezra hummed approvingly.

It was the first thing that felt right for Lucio since the past year. Nothing compared to the great elation within him upon being reunited with Ezra, even if their reconciliation was left with frayed edges. For him, it was a matter to be dealt for another time, another day. Lucio only wanted to enjoy Ezra’s company as long as he had it.

Lucio’s arms snaked about Ezra’s waist just as a leg jutted the magician’s apart to pull him close. Ezra gave a small huff of laughter against the count’s lips as he kissed him again, carding fingers through his hair. It seemed to be something he missed as he mussed up Lucio’s once kempt locks immediately, drawing back to laugh at his handiwork.

“You need to, _mn_, cut your hair,” Ezra commented as the count nibbled at his earlobe. “It’s so long. Your head looks like a ducktail from the back.”

“Couldn’t find the time between missing you and missing you,” Lucio said against his neck, peppering it with kisses. “I was so _consumed_ with thoughts of you, upkeeping my image was nigh impossible.”

“That’s absolutely a lie,” Ezra said. “Your image is always in the forefront of your mind.”

“Just as I apparently don’t know you well enough, you don’t know me.” Lucio shushed his retort with a kiss. “We both still have a lot to learn.”

Ezra hummed. “You say that, but there’s only one head of yours doing any thinking.” He punctuated his reply by nudging himself against Lucio’s loins and the undeniable lump that had formed. “Eager as always, I see.”

“B-blame it on the wine,” Lucio said, drawing in a sharp hiss through his teeth. “It’s doing strange things to me.”

“If you say so,” Ezra said with a chuckle.

Those clever fingers that Lucio had missed so were adroitly at work, first unbuttoning his jacket before swiping low to work at his trousers. Lucio shivered when Ezra’s fingers gently passed over his erection, but as always, Ezra refused him the satisfaction of anything beyond the vestiges of pleasure. Despite how he disliked being teased, Lucio found comfort in the fact it was something he knew. It meant Ezra was there—with him—and that was more than enough.

His thoughts stymied when Ezra caught his lips with his, fingers lightly trailing over every dip and dimple of his lower abdomen. “You’re distracted,” he said when he pulled back. “What’s wrong?”

“Mm, I was just thinking…”

“That’s a first.”

“_Hush_. Doesn’t that bother you?” Lucio’s eyes flicked to the door. “What if someone walks in?”

Ezra stilled. “Oh. I never considered…” He prepared to step back. “Then we should—”

Lucio caught his hands. “No. Here’s fine.”

Ezra leveled a plaintive look at him. “_Lucio._”

“What?”

“There are literally hundreds of people outside that door. What if someone walks in?”

Lucio waggled his brows suggestively. “Well, we give them a show.”

“Then make it a one-man show. I’m leaving.”

“Ugh, Ezra! Ezra, wait. _Wait. _I was only joking.” Lucio managed to reel the magician back with an embrace from behind. “We can go to my room, all right?”

“That’s all I was going to ask,” Ezra said, angling his head to kiss Lucio’s jaw. “But you’re awful, so I should’ve expected as much.”

“Mhm, I can’t be anything less,” Lucio replied, grinning.

* * *

The doors to Lucio’s chambers were suddenly slammed shut when Ezra hastily pushed him up against them. His kiss was crushing; blanking the count’s mind as Ezra slotted himself neatly against his body. Lucio dragged his hands down Ezra’s chest once he managed to unbutton his vest and top, barely mindful of the marks he left on his skin from the clawed tips of his gauntlet. Ezra appeared unperturbed, even encouraging it by the delighted hum he gave against Lucio’s lips.

Lucio obliged him as he fell into routine, spidering his gauntlet against Ezra’s spine. In response, Ezra keened into the touch as he ground his lower waist against Lucio. His composure was dwindling as he yearned for more; cupping his free hand on the cleft of Ezra’s rear to pull him closer. They continued to kiss, their exchange devolving from chaste to heated and heady, as they sought more and more from each other.

Their flow was interrupted when Lucio scooped a hand on the waistline of Ezra’s trousers and tugged them down, exposing the skin of his hip. The magician pulled back, much to Lucio’s chagrin, with a look of uncertainty.

“It’s been a while, you know,” he said. “So we can’t do more then, well, this.”

“What? It hasn’t been _that_ long.”

“It’s been a _year_, Lucio.”

Lucio harrumphed. “But I want you.”

“And I’m giving myself to you.”

“No, I mean”—he squeezed Ezra’s rear—"_all_ of you.”

Ezra rolled his eyes. “I will _not_ have you shoving yourself into me in one fell swoop. It takes time to prepare, remember?”

“Then we have to make up for lost time.”

“_Next_ time,” Ezra said. “Just, just touch me today…”

Lucio gave a defeated sigh. “_Fine_, but I’m not giving you a break whenever “next time” is.”

Ezra chucked. “Your pity would be an insult.”

Ezra moved sinuously against him when Lucio managed to work his trousers’ buttons open and bring their cocks together. He was content with contact alone, but Ezra certainly wasn’t, bucking his hips as he hardened considerably. He only stilled when the count wrapped his hand about the base of both of their cocks and pumped them in tandem. In response, Ezra gave a guttural moan that Lucio swiftly swallowed in a kiss.

Wrapping arms about his neck, Ezra relinquished himself to Lucio’s touch, allowing him to bring them both to completion. It proved a somewhat frustrating endeavor as their desperation got the better of them. While the count wanted to draw things out, Ezra egged him to speed things up. Lucio’s blood boiled; nothing worked him up more than the magician begging him for release. It was the one weakness Ezra showed to the him and no one else.

“_Ungh_, L-Lucio, come on,” Ezra moaned. “Let me come…”

“Not yet,” he breathed, thumbing the tip of Ezra’s cock. The magician gave a full body tremble. “I want to remember all of this, all of _you_…”

“Y-you, you can’t have forgotten me already.” Ezra brushed his forehead against Lucio’s, eyes barely open. “A y-year is a long time, yes—_mn_—but you, ah, you can’t have—”

“I never once forgot you, but I took _this_ for granted,” Lucio replied. “My time with you. So I, _mm_, I want to remember everything.”

“Then, of all things, remember this…” Ezra kissed him with an unfound tenderness, stilling the hand that worked them both. His smile, though so rare, was gentle when he looked up at Lucio. “I love you. I always will love you.”

Lucio drew in a sharp breath. “E-Ezra…”

“So let’s work things out. E-eventually.” Ezra threw his head back, neck craning as orgasm built in his lower half. “L-let’s try… Let’s try and—_mmph!—_and make _us_ work. _Hah_, somehow.”

Lucio couldn’t mouth a reply as his thoughts scattered, sweat beading across his temple. His managed a small nod before he crushed Ezra to him, grunting in the hollow of his neck as white spattered between their bellies. A few pumps had the magician emptying himself as well; a wash of warmth covering him from head to toe. Tiredly, the two sagged against the door, thankful it held steadfast from their combined weight.

With no more words needing to be said, Lucio dragged Ezra along to his bed after they managed to calm themselves. The count fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, but Ezra lingered, studying his face. It felt like a repeat of the day he first accidentally confessed to Lucio, but somehow, more fulfilling. Mirth danced in his eyes, despite his chagrin. At least the count wasn’t awake to tease him about it; it’d just make him regret all over again.

“Whatever,” Ezra muttered aloud to no one in particular as he nestled himself against Lucio’s shoulder. The world outside those chambers was small, insignificant. For now, the only thing that mattered was sleep.


End file.
